In growing alfalfa it is important to obtain a good initial stand. However, it is difficult to predict the exact amount of seed necessary to insure a good stand.

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Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is an invasive annual grass that has colonized large portions of the Intermountain west. Cheatgrass stand failures have been observed throughout the invaded region, the cause of which may be related to the presence of several species of pathogenic fungi in the soil or surface litter. In this study, metagenomics was used to better understand and compare the fungal communities between sites that have and have not experienced stand failure. Samples were taken from the soil and surface litter in Winnemucca, Nevada and Skull Valley, Utah. Results show distinct fungal communities between Winnemucca and Skull Valley, as well as between soil and surface litter. In both the Winnemucca and Skull Valley surface litter, there was an elevated abundance of the endophyte Ramimonilia apicalis in samples that had experienced a stand failure. Winnemucca surface litter stand failure samples had increased abundance of the potential pathogen in the genus Comoclathris while the soils had increased abundance of the known cheatgrass pathogen Epicoccum nigrum. Skull Valley surface litter stand failure samples had increased abundance of the known cheatgrass pathogen Clarireedia capillus-albis while the soils had increased abundance of potential pathogens in the genera Olpidium and Monosporascus.

No description available.

No description available.

The southeastern United States is one of the most productive forestry regions in the world, encompassing approximately 100 million ha of forest land, about 87% of which is privately owned. Any alteration in this region's duration or rate of forest recovery has consequential economic and ecological ramifications. Despite the need for forest recovery monitoring in this region, a spatially comprehensive evaluation of forest spectral recovery through time has not yet been conducted. Remote sensing analysis via cloud-computing platforms allows for evaluating southeastern forest recovery at spatiotemporal scales not attainable with traditional methods. Forest productivity is assessed in this study using spectral metrics of southern yellow pine recovery following stand-replacing disturbance. An annual cloudfree (1984-2021) Landsat time series intersecting ten southeastern states was constructed using the Google Earth Engine API. Southern yellow pine stands were detected using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) evergreen class, and pixels with a rapidly changing spectrotemporal profile, suggesting stand-replacing disturbance, were found using the Landscape Change Monitoring System (LCMS) Fast Loss product. Spectral recovery metrics for 3,654 randomly selected stands in 14 Level 3 EPA Ecoregions were derived from their 38-year time series of Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) values using the Detecting Breakpoints and Estimating Segments in Trend (DBEST) change detection algorithm. Recovery metrics characterizing the rate (NBRregrowth), duration (Y2R), and magnitude (K-shift) of recovery from stand-replacing disturbances occurring between 1989 and 2011 were evaluated to identify long-term and wide-scale changes in forest recovery using linear regression and spatial statistics respectively. Sampled stands typically recover 35% higher in NBR than pre-disturbance and, on average, spectrally recover within seven years of disturbance. Recovery rate is shown to be increasing over time; temporal slope estimates for NBRregrowth suggest a 33% increase in early recovery rate between 1984 and 2011. Similarly, recovery duration measured with Y2R decreased by 43% during the study period with significant spatial variation. Results suggest that the magnitude of change in stand condition between rotations has decreased by 21% during the study period, has substantial regional divisions in high and low magnitude recovery between coastal and inland stands, and low NBR value sites have the most potential to increase their NBR value. Observed spatiotemporal patterns of spectral recovery suggest that changes in management interventions, atmospheric CO2, and climate over time have changed regional productivity. Results from this study will aid the understanding of changing productivity in southern yellow pine and will inform the management, monitoring, and modeling of this ecologically and economically important forest ecosystem. / Master of Science / The Southeast United States contains approximately 100 million hectares of forest land and is one of the world's most productive regions for commercial forestry. Forest managers and those who model the effects of different types of forest land on the changing climate need up-to-date information about how productive these forests are at removing carbon and producing wood and how that productivity differs across space and time. In this study, we evaluate the productivity of southern yellow pine stands by measuring stand recovery attributes from a disturbance that removes the majority or all of the trees in the stand. This is accomplished by locating 3,654 of randomly selected disturbed pine stands through ten southeastern states using freely available national data products derived from Landsat satellite imagery, namely a combination of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and the Landscape Change Monitoring System (LCMS), which provide information about the type of forest, and the year and severity of disturbance respectively. Annual Landsat satellite imagery from 1984 to 2021 is used to create a series of values over time for each stand representing the stand condition each year using an index called the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR). A change detection algorithm called DBEST is applied to each stands NBR values to find the timing of disturbance and recovery, which is used to create three metrics characterizing the rate (NBRregrowth), duration (Y2R), and magnitude (K-shift) of recovery. We evaluated how these metrics change through time using linear regression and how they differ across space using regression residuals and spatial statistics. Across the region, stands typically increase in recovery rate, decrease in recovery duration, and decrease in recovery magnitude. On average, stands recover within seven years of disturbance and to a higher NBR value than pre-disturbance. However, there is significant spatial variation in this metric throughout the Southeast. The results indicate that stands with a lower vegetation condition, measured with NBR, before the disturbance had the most significant gain in stand condition after recovery, and stands with initially higher vegetation condition did not increase as much after recovery.

With the rise of feminist sentiment and the growing awareness of gender equity in China, social media has become an increasingly central space for Chinese feminist expression. However, the complex dynamics of feminist expression in these online spaces—and the role of popular culture in facilitating such discourse—are still to be fully elucidated. This dissertation delves into these understudied facets, focusing on the social media platforms Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) and Bilibili (China’s largest anime fandom hub), through a cross-platform comparative analysis of the online discussion sparked by the stand-up comedy acts of Chinese female comedians. It further narrows its focus to young (age 22-33) female audiences' engagement with these comedy routines online, probing their perceptions of the confluence between feminist discourse, humor, and social media. Drawing on a mixed-methods qualitative approach that combines content analysis of videos and comments on Douyin and Bilibili with in-depth interviews with 15 young female participants, this dissertation demonstrates how users employed the platform’s creative features to challenge everyday sexism by echoing or building upon the stand-up comedians’ gags. At the same time, the analysis also uncovers how social media is used to insult and push back against these feminist voices. Subsequently, audience analysis reflects the dual use of female comedians' humor as a tool for cultural critique and community formation, while highlighting the deterrents to engagement, such as the polarized reception, stigma surrounding feminism, and online censorship. The findings shed light on the sophisticated role of social media as a platform for digital feminist expression, and the ways in which it can amplify both feminist discourse or, conversely, give voice to misogynistic attacks. They also uncover audience perceptions regarding the influence of popular culture in enhancing female representation, albeit within a frequently binary discourse. Additionally, the study addresses broader cultural implications, including the weaponization of “Westernness” in misogynistic rhetoric and the impact of censorship on audience interaction. By situating the investigation within the context of China's digital landscape and framing stand-up comedy—a genre that resonates with millennials and Gen Z—as a unique lens through which to view feminism, this dissertation transcends mere observation of a cultural phenomenon to offer a deeply personal exploration. It aspires to enrich the literature on social media as a fertile ground for gender-related discussions and to chronicle the emergent feminist ethos of our era.

Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka hur stand up - komedi beskrivs, görs och förstås ur kvinnliga komikers perspektiv. Utifrån kulturantropologiska, kommunikationsteoretiska och genusteoretiska perspektiv söker uppsatsen ta reda på vad som kommuniceras med ett stand up- framträdande, om tankar kring hur det är att utöva stand up som kvinna och om det finns en egen ”kvinnlig humor”.

Les prions sont des agrégats amyloïdes infectieux. Le prion [Het-s] de Podospora anserina est un des prions le mieux caractérisé. Le prion [Het-s] est impliqué dans l’incompatibilité végétative – un processus biologique qui a lieu au cours des anastomoses entre des souches génétiquement différentes. Quand une souche [Het-s] fusionne avec une souche exprimant l’allèle alternatif du gène het-s – l’allèle het-S – une réaction de mort cellulaire programmée est déclenchée. Les deux protéines diffèrent de 13 acides aminés et partagent une architecture en deux domaines ; un domaine globulaire en N-terminal nommé HeLo et un domaine PFD (Prion Forming Domain) en C-terminal. Il a été établi qu’en présence des fibres amyloïdes de [Het-s], la protéine HET-S agit en ‘pore-forming’ toxine : la transconformation du PFD de HET-S par les fibres amyloïdes du [Het-s] active le domaine HeLo de HET-S et entraîne la mort cellulaire. Afin de mieux caractériser les propriétés du repliement β-solénoïde du prion [Het-s], nous avons entrepris l’exploration in vivo des relations structure-fonction de ce repliement par une approche d’alanine scanning. Au cours de nos recherches pour des homologues de HET-S/s, nous avons identifié un partenaire fonctionnel de HET-S – une protéine appelée NWD2. NWD2 est une protéine STAND et partage une séquence homologue (3-23) au PFD de HET-S/s. Les protéines STAND, après la reconnaissance d’un ligand, forment des plateformes oligomériques pour transduire le signal. Des analyses génomiques in silico réalisées dans plusieurs génomes fongiques nous ont amené à proposer que la transduction du signal via une protéine STAND à repliement amyloïde est un mécanisme ancien et conservé chez les champignons. Dans ce contexte nous avons identifié deux nouveaux motifs PFD putatifs – σ et PP. En soumettant à l’épreuve notre hypothèse, nous avons d’abord démontré que NWD2 interagit avec HET-S/s en fonction d’un ligand spécifique in vivo et l’interaction est dépendante de la séquence NWD2(3-23) homologue au PFD de HET-S/s. Nous avons ensuite exploré le motif PP associé à un domaine HeLo-like (HELL) dans le génome de Chaetomium globosum. En démontrant la nature amyloïde et prion-like du motif PP ainsi que l’analogie fonctionnelle entre ce motif et le PFD de HET-S/s in vivo nous avons apporté des arguments supplémentaires en faveur de l’implication des repliements amyloïdes dans la transduction du signal chez les champignons filamenteux. / Prions are infectious amyloid aggregates. Podospora anserina’s [Het-s] is one of the best characterized fungal prions with a remarkably high prevalence in wild populations. [Het-s] functions in vegetative incompatibility - a biological process occurring during anastomosis between two genetically incompatible strains. When an [Het-s] prion infected strain fuses with a strain expressing the alternative allelic variant of the het-s locus – het-S – a cell death reaction of the heterokaryon occurs. Differing by 13 amino acids both proteins shares two domain architecture; a globular N-terminal domain called HeLo and a C-terminal Prion Forming Domain (PFD). It has been demonstrated that in presence of [Het-s] amyloid fibers HET-S turns into a pore-forming toxin: transconformation of the HET-S PFD by [Het-s] fibers triggers the refolding of the HET-S HeLo domain, inducing the cell death reaction. In an attempt to better characterize the conserved features of the [Het-s] β-solenoid fold we have used a mutational alanine scanning approach and explored in vivo the existing relations between structure and prion functions of [Het-s]. During our quest for new distant homologues of HET-S/s, we have identified a functional partner of HET-S toxin called NWD2. NWD2 is a STAND protein and shares a homology sequence (3-23) in the HET-S/s PFD. STAND proteins form signal transducing hubs through oligomerization upon ligand recognition. Several in silico analysis in various fungal genomes led us to propose that signal transduction via a STAND protein using an amyloid prion-like fold is a general widespread mechanism in fungi. In that context, we have proposed two novel putative PFD motifs called σ and PP. Testing experimentally our hypothesis, we have first demonstrated that NWD2 interacts with HET-S/s upon ligand recognition in vivo and the interaction is dependant of the NWD2(3-23) region. We have then explored the newly identified putative prion domain PP, associated to a Helo-like domain (termed HELL) from the filamentous fungus Chaetomium globosum. By demonstrating the amyloid, prion-like nature of the PP motif and the functional analogy between PP and HET-S/s PFD domain in vivo, we expose further evidences supporting the implication of amyloid folds in signal transduction in filamentous fungi.

[pt] Através da função standby, um aparelho elétrico sai do seu modo de operação principal (em funcionamento); mas permanece ligado assumindo uma função em espera com o objetivo de economizar energia elétrica, até que o consumidor volte a utilizar o equipamento. Nesta dissertação é apresentada a estimativa do consumo de energia com o uso do standby em aparelhos elétricos de utilização doméstica; e o impacto financeiro deste desperdício para a população. O estudo foi motivado como forma de contribuir para o real entendimento deste consumo e oferecer subsídios que sirvam de alerta; visto que há um aumento da presença da tecnologia standby nos aparelhos existentes, e surgimento de novos equipamentos que possuem um consumo ocioso (quando não estão em funcionamento), podendo este cenário estar indo no caminho contrário às políticas atuais de conservação de energia. Para a estimativa, inicialmente foram utilizadas informações de Pesquisas de Posses e Hábitos de uso (PPH) de aparelhos elétricos para se traçar um panorama da forma como cada aparelho é utilizado sobre o modo de operação standby; em seguida coletaram-se informações de consumo de energia elétrica obtidas através de medições dos próprios equipamentos elétricos, onde foi identificado que o aparelho de TV por assinatura é o grande vilão do consumo ocioso em standby. O último passo foi extrapolar as informações estimadas para uma concessionária local e para o Brasil, e simular o desperdício de energia elétrica com o consumo do standby nos aparelhos elétricos de uso doméstico, chegando-se ao resultado de 1,6 TWh/ano de desperdício alocado aos consumidores residenciais do Brasil, o que representa 1,9 porcento do volume de vendas de energia no segmento. / [en] Through the standby function, an electrical device goes out of your main operation mode (in use); but remains on, assuming a waiting function to save electricity, until the consumer reuse the equipment. In this dissertation, the estimated power consumption is presented with the use of standby function in electrical appliances from domestic use; and the financial impact of this waste to the population. The study was motivated as a way to contribute to the real understanding of this consumption, and offer subsidies that serve as warning; since there is an increased presence of the standby technology in existing devices, and the emergence of new equipments that has an idle consumption (when not operating), perhaps this scenario may be going against the current policies of energy conservation. To estimate, initially was used information from Electrical Appliances Ownership Survey to draw a picture of how each device is used in standby operation; then collected information about power consumption obtained through measurements of each electrical equipment, where it was identified that cable TV is the biggest villain of the idle standby consumption. The last step was to extrapolate the estimates for a local electric utility and Brazil, and simulate the waste of electrical energy consumption in the standby electrical household appliances, coming to the result of 1.6 TWh/year of waste allocated to residential consumers in Brazil, which represents 1,9 percent of the energy sales in the segment.